The Stolen Earth

Writer:     Russell T Davies O.B.E
Director:  Graeme Harper

“I’m sorry….it’s too late…..I’m regenerating!!!”

 

The Doctor and Donna are back on Earth and despite Rose’s warning everything seems to be normal.  The Doctor tells Donna that if Rose could cross between parallel worlds then it means that the walls of the universe are breaking down and everything is in danger.
They go back into The Tardis which is then hit by a massive explosion and when The Doctor opens the doors he finds that they are no longer on Earth but appear to be in space although all the instruments say that they haven’t moved. The whole of the Earth appears to have vanished.  Admitting that he doesn’t have any answers and that he needs help The Doctor takes Donna to meet the Shadow Proclamation.

 

In New York at a UNIT base Martha Jones and her colleagues are picking themselves up after the same explosion, as is Jack Harkness and the Torchwood team in Cardiff and Sarah Jane Smith in London. A flash of light signals the arrival of Rose Tyler back on Earth.
They all look up to the sky and see that is now filled with 27 unknown planets!
Sarah Jane, UNIT and Torchwood are tracking a movement in amongst the 27 planets which becomes a fleet of 200 alien space craft. The aliens begin to transmit a message to Earth… the message is just one word repeated over and over again. That word is EXTERMINATE!

Donna and The Doctor arrive at the Shadow Proclamation and learn that in fact it isn’t just the Earth that has gone missing but also another 23 worlds as well. The worlds were spread all across the Universe and seem to have nothing in common except for the fact that they all disappeared at the exact same time. Donna remembers what she was told in Pompeii and asks if Pyrovillia is also there. When that planet is added along with the Adipose breeding planet (Partners in Crime) and the lost moon of Poosh (Midnight) they all align themselves to form a source of great power. Nobody in the Shadow Proclamation or The Doctor have any idea why anybody would want to do this. When The Doctor asks her if anything strange had been happening on Earth recently Donna tells him that the bees have been disappearing. The Doctor knows that some of the bees are alien in nature and may have been trying to escape from the oncoming danger. Whoever stole the Earth used the same wavelength as the bees and if they use The Tardis to follow the bees trail, they might find out who is behind the disappearing planets.

On Earth the Daleks attack the UNIT base where Martha is stationed starting a systematic extermination of all UNIT personnel. UNIT have been working on a an experimental teleport system using parts from the Sontaran ship (The Sontaran Stratagem) which although it has never been properly tested now seems like Martha’s only hope of escape. Before she uses the teleport she is given the Osterhagan key and told that if The Doctor doesn’t come then the key should be used.

On the Dalek ship is their creator Davros who has met The Doctor before and asks if he has yet been found. When he hears that there is no news he is surprised and despite the assurances of the Supreme Dalek that the Earth has been subjugated he knows that Dalek Caan (Daleks in Manhattan) in uneasy. Caan knows that The Doctor – the threefold man – is coming. 
The Daleks have now moved the focus of their attack to normal civilians, rounding them up and ruthlessly exterminating anybody who challenges or questions their commands. Wilf and Sylvia have seen the Daleks in action and are now making their way back home when they are caught by a lone Dalek and just as it seems as though they are doomed the Dalek is destroyed by Rose. She tells Wilf and Sylvia that she needs their help to find Donna and thus The Doctor.

Following the energy trail has led The Tardis to The Medusa Cascade – a rift in time and space. But the Cascade is empty, there is no sign of the missing planets and for once The Doctor is out of ideas and seemingly out of hope too.

As the Daleks continue their invasion of the Earth a lone voice tapping into a sub wave network manages to make contact with Torchwood, Sarah Jane and Martha (who having survived the teleport found herself back at home). The network has been activated by former Prime Minister Harriet Jones (The Christmas Invasion) who needs their help to contact The Doctor.  Although Rose can see and hear the transmission between The Doctor’s allies she can not communicate with them and they don’t know that she too is looking for The Doctor. Harriet will use the power of the network boosted by Torchwood and Sarah Jane’s own supercomputer, Mr Smith, to amplify a mobile phone signal that will call the phone in The Tardis. She also knows that this will mean that the Daleks will become aware of the sub wave network and trace it back to her. 
The call is made, the phone on The Tardis rings and The Doctor answers. He follows the phone signal and finds the 27 stolen planets hidden in a pocket of time 1 second out of time with the rest of the Universe. Cutting into the sub wave transmission he can see and be seen by all his allies on Earth, except for Rose.  Their conversation is cut short by a transmission from the Dalek ship… it is Davros, whom The Doctor believed had died during the Time War. Davros tells him that he was saved by Dalek Caan who found a way to cross back into the Time War and save him. Davros has used his own body to create the new Dalek race.

The Daleks trace the sub frame network to Torchwood and Jack uses his vortex manipulator as a teleport to lock onto the signal of The Tardis and go in search of The Doctor. Gwen and Ianto arm themselves and prepare to defend Torchwood against the Daleks.
Sarah Jane uses Mr Smith to give her the most likely location for The Tardis to land and sets off to find it.
Rose makes a phone call to her ‘control’ and asks for a lock on The Tardis for her teleport so she can join the search for The Doctor.

The Tardis has landed on a deserted, desolate London street. The Doctor turns to Donna and asks if she can remember what Rose told her in the parallel world. Donna can see Rose over The Doctor’s shoulder and tells him that he should ask Rose himself. He turns to see her at the end of the street and they set off running towards each other. Half way down the street a Dalek emerges from the shadows and with a triumphant cry of EXTERMINATE he shoots The Doctor, who falls to the floor badly injured. Jack arrives just too late to save The Doctor but still destroys the Dalek before urging Rose and Donna to get The Doctor into The Tardis.
Their actions appear to have been in vain as the extent of The Doctor’s injuries are so great that despite Rose’s please for him not to die he starts to regenerate!

Written by Deryn Corner